Decorating Papa's Apartment

Last Saturday, some of our family went over to my dad's to decorate his apartment for Christmas. Angie and Otto brought Papa a box of candy and Otto couldn't wait to give it to Papa!

Oh yes, look at that smile and the candy in his little hand! He wanted Papa to have one too and picked one out for him.

Papa and his great grandson having a chocolate treat. I am not sure which one was enjoying it more!

My sister Alisa and her son Markie took the tree out into the hall and put it together. Such a big help to me.

Gina was enjoying the fun and was taking a walk down memory lane. Lots of memories for the kids.

Otto found some little cars from the village to play with for awhile. He LOVES cars.

Angie is always so good at displaying the village scene on top of his TV. That's her job.

Sisters decorating the tree.

Markie and Papa were remembering some of the old ornaments before they went onto the tree.

Otto really got into the decorating. He told us..."I like decorating!" It's interesting how much little ones grow up and change in one year.

My girls....so much joy in my life. Now I have a sweet grandson to throw in the mix. JOY JOY JOY!

Yep, he was having fun. He was pretty proud of his accomplishments.

Then he discovered he could hang them on the garland around the bottom of the tree! So funny.

So the next generation has taken it's place in the circle of life. It's a special time and I love all those smiles. 

Otto and Santa

I will be decorating for Christmas the next few days and probably won't be on the computer very much. I just wanted to post this picture of my Otto with Santa. We had so much fun last Saturday with mommy and Aunt Gi Gi in downtown Gresham. Otto wasn't afraid of him at all and REALLY got into the whole Santa thing. I hope to post more later about our fun day at my dad's too. 

Sunday Thoughts.....Hope and Anticipation

It's the first Sunday of Advent! I love the custom of the Advent wreath and although we didn't have one when I was growing up, I have always enjoyed having one  in our home since our children were little. It helps me focus on my Lord during all the business of the Christmas season. I like to sit in my tea room in the mornings and have that quiet time before the day begins. I love soft candlelight and find it calming.

I also try to find devotionals or prayers for the season. It's good to have new readings to ponder over each year.  Of course, I love the HOPE candle and oh, don't we all need hope? I was doing some reading this morning about waiting and anticipation.

The Jewish people were longing for the Messiah. They were filled with hope as they waited for His coming. As a Christian, I believe that hope was fulfilled with the birth of that little baby in that humble manger. God kept his promise. So as we prepare our hearts for Christmas, we are thankful for that first coming.

So, where does the anticipation come into the picture? As Christians, we know the second coming of Christ will happen someday. Are we ready for that promise too? Do we think about that? When you wait for something, there is an anticipation about it all! During that time, you are actually preparing for something. It hit me this morning. Waiting with anticipation! It means we are also full of hope and waiting with excitement.

As Christ hasn't returned yet, He has given us this time to prepare. So think about that today. How can you use this beautiful season of Advent to prepare and anticipate your Lord? Prepare you heart for Christmas and remember His first coming, but go beyond that. God keeps His promises. 

A Blessed Thanksgiving To You and Yours!

Wishing all my friends and family a very Happy Thanksgiving. I am thankful for you all and pray that you will all be blessed with a lovely and meaningful day and holiday season ahead. 

Tea Time Tuesday #125

I had a late afternoon cup of tea today after a busy day. I had to clean the house today and go grocery shopping before fixing dinner. My feet gave way about noon, so that made the day difficult. I cannot wait to see the podiatrist on Dec 5th. I wear my boot when I can but somedays I don't get much relief from it. Today was one of those days...sigh. My photos are a bit dark as it was a stormy November day here in the Pacific NW. Tea was comforting this afternoon.

Fall is almost gone and many of my friends have their Christmas decorations up  now. I just am such a fall person that I get sad when I have to pack my treasures away. So I wanted to share some of my acorn goodies. I love acorns.

My good friend gave me this little fall teapot a few years back. It's just right for on cup of tea.

I've had this set of hand painted little china plates forever. The colors are so soft...I like the muted colors of November.

I like this little acorn dish too. I just keep little bits and pieced in it. I made the acorn pincushions when I was running quilt retreats. LaVonne sent me the tops and i filled them with emery sand. Everyone loved them and they sharpen your sewing needles.

And now for my lovely cup and saucer. It is very delicate and is decorated with oak leave and acorns.

Notice the soft tones on this one too.

It's marked Austria but that's all I know about it. I know some of my tea friends are so knowledgable about markings...I am not.

This is my new tea...Harvest Pear Rooibos. YUMMY! This is a new brand of tea for me.

I purchased it last Saturday at my favorite shop in Aurora. It was a fun little adventure on the way home from Salem.

Lots of goodies in this shoppe! So many teacups.

So I enjoyed my little tea break this afternoon. Gina will be home tomorrow after I babysit Otto. I need to get a good night's sleep to keep up with that busy 3 year old.

Sunday Thoughts

Ah, the Sunday before Thanksgiving. A quiet time to pause and really think about being thankful.
So much has happened in my life this year. I am just so thankful to even be here and thankful that I will be with my family on Thursday. I am so blessed to have this second chance and I think about it everyday. I don't like all the meds and tests and doctor appointments, but I do love my family and my friends. I won't take this Thanksgiving lightly. I know God is healing me, sometimes much slower than I like, but healing is the important word here. I believe He has more work for me to do and I am thankful for that! It's not a bad thing to have to slow down and relax and get your priorities straight! It's not bad thing to be able to help others, even with a comforting word or a cheerful email or text. It's a good thing to have a peaceful home that welcomes friends.
So, I am thankful for all of this and am looking forward to the holiday season to "be of good cheer"!
Enjoy the day and find peace in some quiet time with the Lord. Enjoy the week ahead with a thankful heart. 

Dolly Time for Thursday Treasures

One week from today will be celebrating Thanksgiving with friends and family! It is hard to believe! I just chatted with my daughter Gina in Seattle and she is excited to come home for the holiday. We were planning some fun times....we will watch Little Women and snuggle up by the woodstove and drink tea and be lazy. We will decorate my dad's apartment for Christmas on Saturday, so that will be fun!

I haven't posted anything for Thursday Treasures for quite some time, so thought it might be fun to so so today. I don't have any Thanksgiving dolls, but do love this little wooden beaded Pilgrim couple that I found a few years ago. They are only 3-4" tall and charming.

A few weeks ago, I discovered this charming book on dolls from the 1950's at the all city garage sale. It was too sweet to leave there. The graphics are wonderful.

Awhile back, I found this charming china head at our flea market from the man who we purchased many Tasha Tudor prints. His wife was such a doll collector and their children have no desire to keep her dolls. Lucky me! He wasn't sure who made the doll but thought it was by someone who also did china painting and he thought she bought it in the 1950's.

I found a name on the back of the doll so I know it was made by Grace Lathrop. She was a doll maker in Oregon. I haven't been able to find much information about her.

I did find this beautiful painted lady on Etsy also by Grace Lathrop and added it to my collection. It is lovely.

Grace Elizabeth, as I named her, is 22 inches tall and is in very nice condition. I just love her and she is very happy living in her new home with the other dolls.

Jimmy found this interesting doll at another sale. She isn't in great condition, but she is so different.
She is a mechanical wind up doll. Most of her body is metal and she does walk when wound up.
The poor thing doesn't have a very sweet face, but she is fascinating.

I think I have dolly fever or maybe I should admit, it's chronic! I do love dolls. It's so fun to share the dolls with my Tasha Tudor group on Thursdays. We all get to play dolls once a week!

Tea Time Tuesday

I really miss having tea time goodies! Being on a low sodium diet and having to watch baked goods and sweets, I haven't figured out how to have or go to tea yet. It takes a lot of time right now to plan out my weekly menu, eat at home and learn how to cook more healthy meals. I am feeling better and getting better and loosing weight, so it's all working. This afternoon, I had a cup of tea in my new teacup and thumbed through a favorite tea time book....A Year of Teas at the Elmwood Inn. I had to peek at the November Afternoon Tea just for fun. Ahhhh.

I fell in love with this fall teacup at a sale recently. I find the shape really interesting and of course, I like the handle.

It's English and a Royal Stafford bone china teacup, trimmed in gold. The colors are just lovely for autumn.

Last week I hinted that I would share some of my vintage paper place cards and other paper goods. I just love ephemera. This one has a great little turkey theme.

This one is homemade and has the person's name on a piece of yarn around the turkey's neck.

I love the colors in this little set with names nicely written on each card!

I only found 3 of these handmade little cards. Each has a turkey sticker and a little saying on each card.

Here we have two different bridge tally cards for fall. I think I have some more somewhere.

I've had this little vintage Thanksgiving card for year. I always liked the heading...Thanksgiving Joy!

My daughter found these little turkey nut cups for me a few years ago. I often wonder how these things survive.

I love this small box with bright graphics! I found it last summer at an outdoor antique show. I was happy to find that it had some of the stickers inside.

Well, that was fun! I am always on the hunt for fun seasonal paper.
Are you getting ready for Turkey Day? We will be going out to Salty's overlooking the beautiful Columbia River for their annual buffet and then over to my sister's for dessert in the evening. It will be a challenge to eat healthy. They always have salmon and turkey and salad, so I will be ok. My dietician said I could have a little pumpkin pie...skip the crust and eat a small amount. I can do that!